People's Democracy

(Weekly
Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Vol.
XXX

No. 23

June 04,
2006

TAMILNADU

People Have High Expectations

A
A Nainar

THE
Democratic Progressive Alliance, headed by the DMK and supported by the left
parties had won the state assembly elections held on May 8,2006. A
thirty-one member ministry led by chief minister M.Karunanidhi was sworn in on
May 13. This is the fifth time, the octogenarian DMK stalwart Karunanidhi has
assumed power in the state after fiercely campaigning for more than a month
throughout the state.

Though
the authoritarian and autocratic forces represented by the AIADMK were
decisively defeated, the DMK as a political party also could not get a single
majority on its own which is unique since 1967. The DMK won 96 (131) seats
whereas the AIADMK could win only 61 (187) seats. As a pre-poll formation the
DMK led front captured 164 seats, well above a clear two- thirds majority and
the AIADMK could only bag 69 seats for their front.

The
Congress party won 34 (49) seats and PMK won 18 (31) seats in the alliance. The
CPI (M) won 9 out of the 13 seats it had contested and the CPI 6 out of 10. In
the AIADMK led alliance MDMK could win only 6 (35) seats and the DPI won 2 (9)
seats. The DMDK contesting independently against both these formations in 231
seats had won a single seat in Vriddachalam constituency where its founder
leader, the cine-actor-turned-politician Vijaykant emerged victorious. In Thalli
constituency where there was a four cornered contest among CPI (DPA), AIADMK,
BJP and DMDK an independent had won the seat. The BJP led 12 party alliance drew
a blank.

UNPOPULAR
GOVT DISLODGED

The
results had been well predicted not only by the psephologists, but judging the
mood of the people any layman could have come to the conclusion as to which way
the results would go. In the election campaign, there were lots of unhealthy
practices indulged by political parties especially by the AIADMK to woo the
voters. While most of the parties stuck to their poll manifestos the AIADMK
leader Jayalalitha, day in and day out till May 6afternoon, the day
on which the campaign ended, went on doling out promises to give almost
everything free to the people, the list included rice, houses, loan waivers,
computers etc. The people understood the folly of the game.

Finally
when the results were out on the May11, the people of Tamilnadu heaved a sigh of
relief having got rid of an autocratic regime that devastated the lives of the
people for a total of five years. The Jayalalitha led AIADMK government, which
sacked 1.75 lakhs of government employees, that foisted criminal cases against
political leaders, that brought infamous anti- religious conversion act, that
had used POTA and wanted it to be continued for ever, that oppressed the
transport, electricity and all other sections of the workers, that had inflicted
hikes on all user charges for public consumption goods and services, that had
implemented neo-liberal reforms to help the corporate bigwigs and the MNCsand finally told the people that it had rolled back all these and would
dole out lot of freebies after the elections with a kind heart, had the day of
reckoning against its side in the historic May 8 elections.

SUCCESSFUL
CAMPAIGN

Tremendous
efforts were put in by all the parties in the electoral campaign explaining the
need to dislodge the government. Apart from the painstaking efforts by the DPA
leader Karunanidhi, the CPI (M) leaders Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury,
R.Umanath, Manik Sarkar, K.Varadarajan and Brinda Karat, all Polit Bureau
members, N.Sankaraiah, chairman of the Control Commission, N.Varadarajan,
T.K.Rangarajan, W.R.Varadarajan, A.K.Padmanabhan and U.Vasuki all Central
Committee members, Sudha Sundararaman, general secretary of AIDWA and all state
level leaders of the CPI (M) were in the forefront of the campaign which
contributed to the magnificent victory. CPI leaders A.B.Bardhan and D.Raja too
had vigorously participated in the election campaign. From the Congress side,
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh campaigned for
the DPA candidates.

The
CPI (M) faced the elections withits
own manifesto. However, the DMK manifesto which promised among other things
rupees-two-a kilo-rice, 2 acre land for the landless, farm loan waiver and free
colour TV for every poor household, had become the focal point of their
campaign. While the AIADMK camp initially ridiculed the promises of the DMK
manifesto, it had to make counter announcements departing from their original
manifesto later during the campaign. During the final moments of the campaign
the AIADMK leader had become so frustrated that she mendaciously told she would
implement whatever has been promised in others’ manifestos too. People
understood the clever game of the AIADMK and sounded a death knell to their five
year rule.

Now
that the new government is in place the expectations of the people are very
high. The CPI (M) welcomed the new government, especially the signing of the
executive order on the day it assumed office on giving rice at
rupees-two-a-kilo, waiver of all overdue farm loans and two-eggs-a-week for the
nutritious meal scheme to the students through out the state. The earnestness,
with which the government had started, is quite encouraging. It is very unique
that a minority government with the support of the left among others is ruling
the state. Sustained inter action with the government and popular movements to
realise the aspirations of the common man is the two pronged approach the CPI
(M) would undertake in the days to come.